fruits

Grapes have long been a part of the human diet. The fruit has been cultivated for at least as long as it has been fermented and turned into wine which is a practice that goes back 8,000 years.

Currently around 75,800 square kilometers of land from around globe is being used to cultivate this fruit. About 71% of production is for wine grapes, 27% for table grapes and 2% for dried fruit. This clearly shows the commercial importance of this fruit.

The nutritional profile of grapes has received much attention from researchers. Various phytonutrients from the common beta-carotene to less frequently occurring substances like resveratrol have been identified. The health benefits of the latter have been the focus of recent studies regarding the fruit.

Along with the benefits, some health risks also need to be considered in order to effectively take advantage of what the fruit has to offer. Continue reading and find out the pros and cons of grapes. Continue reading →

Limes are thought to have originated in Southeast Asia and were introduced into Northern Africa by Arab traders. From there it entered Europe through Spain sometime in the 13th century. Then it spread to the New World via European explorers. Sailors then relied on this Vitamin C-rich fruit to prevent scurvy.

The fruit has had a long history of culinary and medicinal use. It figures significantly in Indian and Persian cuisine. From its leaves to oil extract, limes have several therapeutic uses in Ayurvedic and other traditional non-Western medicine.

However along with its health benefits, limes also present minor risks that need to be considered in order to take full advantage of the fruit. Read on and discover the pros and cons of limes. Continue reading →

While the exact origin of the lemon hasn’t been definitely established, researchers speculate that the fruit may have first grown in the southern regions of India. A study of its genetic origins identify it as a hybrid, a cross between the bitter orange (itself a hybrid) and the citron (Citrus medica).

It was in the 1st century A.D. that lemons came into Europe via southern Italy. Back then, the plant was mostly considered ornamental and its fruit was not widely consumed as it is today. The first substantial European cultivation of lemons only happened in the 15th century. It was in the same period that the seeds of the fruit were brought to the New World.

The Superhuman Food Pyramid recommends moderate use of this fruit as there are risks as well as health benefits. Continue reading to learn the pros and cons of lemons.

As far back as the 2nd millennium B.C. watermelons were already being cultivated by civilizations that developed in the Nile Valley. Researchers believe however that the fruit may have originated in the southern regions of the African continent.

It was only in the 13th century that Europe first encountered the fruit as it was brought in by the Moorish invasion. Much later in the Age of Discovery, it is said that watermelons reached the shores of the New World via European colonists.

It’s a good thing watermelons have been around for a long time. Besides the usual vitamins and minerals, there are phytochemicals in this fruit that can keep the eyes and heart functioning optimally. Continue reading and learn the benefits of watermelons.

There are nearly 40 distinct species of plums which makes the common name encompass a wholly separate category under the genus Prunus. Other subcategories would be peaches and cherries, the fruits most closely related to it.

The most widely cultivated and commercially distributed plum specie would be Prunus domestica. But even this single type can come in broad variety of colors from mottled red to deep purple, depending on the cultivar. It’s frequently used to make jams, juices, baked goods, and liquers. It is also the type of plum that’s often dried and turned into prunes.

The ready availability of plums is fortunate as it has much to contribute to your quest in Becoming Superhuman. Read on and find out the benefits of plums.

Most tropical fruits originate in Asia or Africa and then are propagated in the Americas. Pineapples seem to have moved in the opposite direction as they are said to be native to South America. It was only later during the Age of Discovery that European explorers brought the fruit out of the region and to other parts of the world.

It was supposedly no less than Christopher Columbus himself who first encountered the fruit and brought it to Europe. It was around the early 1700’s that the fruit was successfully cultivated there through hothouses. Hawaii which is the main producer of the fruit in the US was introduced to the pineapple earlier when a Spanish ship landed there in the 1500’s.

The Superhuman Food Pyramid wholly recommends regularly including this fruit in your diet to take advantage of its nutrients and its culinary as well as medicinal uses. Read on to know more about the benefits of pineapples.

Numerous fruit species and subspecies that fall under the genus Pyrus can all be technically called pears. They’re native in various temperate regions from Europe all the way to Asia. There are in fact species of pear that aren’t even “pear-shaped”.

The fruit presents in different colors too – green with a tinge of red, bright yellow to golden yellow, and even plain and dull brown. Some types don’t even change color and remain mostly green even when ripe. Regardless of shape or color though, most common varieties of pears are nutritious and have much to contribute to your quest for Superhuman health.

Continue reading to discover the benefits of this common and seemingly ordinary fruit.

The scientific name for peaches is Prunus persica and that second half of the name refers to Persia (Iran) which was the place Europeans mistakenly thought the fruit came from. Peaches in fact originated in China and have been cultivated there since 2000 B.C.

It was only around 300 B.C. that the fruit spread through Persia and into Greece. It was largely through Alexander the Great and his conquest of that region that peaches were introduced into Europe. In the 16th century Spanish explorers finally brought the fruit to the New World.

It is fortunate that the fruit has long been a part of the human diet as it has much nutritional value to offer. Continue reading about the benefits of peaches and understand why the Superhuman Food Pyramid wholly recommends the fruit.

Papayas are native to Central America and northern parts of South America. They’ve been cultivated there centuries before Spanish and Portuguese explorers came to discover that part of the world. It was mostly due to them that the fruit was propagated to other regions with a tropical climate.

This fruit enjoys some popularity in the scientific community. It’s one of the first fruits whose genome was completely mapped out. Various parts of the plant, from seeds to leaves, have also been subject to various studies most of which investigate its potential benefits to human health. But even before all that, indigenous cultures had already been using papayas medicinally.

Once described by Christopher Columbus as “the fruit of angels”, the Superhuman Food Pyramid wholly recommends that you include papayas in your diet. Read on to discover how this fruit can help you Become Superhuman.

Though their names may imply they’re two different species of fruits, nectarines and peaches are actually genetically similar. Nectarines come about through a recessive gene that results in smooth non-fuzzy skinned peaches. That is the main differentiating characteristic of nectarines. It is also probably why this fruit is mistakenly thought of as a hybrid of peaches and plums.

Just like its parent fruit, nectarines originated in China. Its slightly different taste and texture was pleasant enough that it was deliberately cultivated. A peach tree can bear both peach and nectarine fruits. To consistently grow nectarines, only the strain of peaches bearing the recessive gene can be used.

Nectarines may be the result of a natural occurring mutation but that doesn’t make them less nutritious. Continue reading and find out the benefits of nectarines and how they can help you Become Superhuman.

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